Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa. It is also the second largest lake in the world. It is an important lake because it is one of the sources(源头) for the longest river in the world, the Nile River. Lake Victoria provides a source of water, food, and power(电力) for several African countries. Lake Victoria is a big part of African life.

Unfortunately, Lake Victoria has a problem. It is shrinking. There are several power stations at Lake Victoria in Uganda. These are on the Nile River, and besides producing power, they keep the water of the lake at a certain level. For the past forty years, that level has been 11.9 meters. Over the last several years, the water level has dropped by about 2.5 meters. There seem to be several reasons for this drop.

One possible reason is drought(干旱). Drought has been very bad in the area since 2000. Lake Victoria gets all of its water from rain, so the drought means less water in the lake.

However, some environmentalists believe that the real problem is the power plants(工厂) on Lake Victoria. Uganda depends on those power plants for most of its power, and they made the power plants larger in 2000. Many people believe the power plants have been taking too much water off Lake Victoria. As a result, they have been asked to use less water until Lake Victoria goes back to its old level.

Whether the low water level is caused by drought or power plants, the result is the same. This is already a poor area of Africa, where many people live a really hard life. People, animals and plants around Lake Victoria will suffer even more from low water levels on the lake. Many people need Lake Victoria for fishing or growing food. Fish need the water to live, and animals need it for water. Plants around the lake will die without the water, and then more animals and people will suffer. Unless the lake fills soon, many people will suffer and die.

1.Lake Victoria is __________.

A. an important lake in Africa

B. the largest lake in the world

C. the source of water, food and power for America

D. the only source for the Nile River

2.What does “It is shrinking” most probably mean?

A. It is becoming larger.

B. It is becoming more beautiful.

C. It is becoming smaller.

D. It is becoming more useful.

3.The water level of Lake Victoria is now __________.

A. 2.5 meters     　B. 11.9 meters              C. 14.4 meters          D. 9.4 meters

4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Rain water is the only source for the lake.

B. There has been little rain in the lake area since 2000.

C. The power plants in Uganda provide water for the lake.

D The power plants in Uganda were made larger in 2000.

5.According to the passage, how can we solve the problems around Lake Victoria?

A. People must build more power plants.

B. More sources of water must be found.

C. Every country should offer some money to Africa.

D. All the people living in the area should move to another place.

Most middle school students find it boring to learn English. But students in Yat Sen middle school in New York, US, don’t think so. Why? Because they are in the school of One Program, which asks students to work on their own or in small groups on computers to have math lessons.

“The program gives the students a new learning style. No traditional classroom can compare with it. We give each lesson according to the students’ interest and their strong and weak points,” said JoelⅠ. Klein, the school’s head teacher, “we’re looking for a new way that interest students children.”

Students enjoy these math lessons, especially lessons with video games. They must find out the answers to math problems to get through the game. One such game is Dimension M. As students move through mazes(迷宫) with their keyboards, some questions come up.

Caleb Deng had to answer the question: What is 5+ (6×3)? He calculated on paper quickly because there was just a minute left to play.

“ I was right,” said Deng, 14, as he ended the game with a high score (高分). “this really makes math lessons more exciting, since we are fighting to learn better.”

1.Students in Yat Sen Middle School like math because __________.

 A. they work in large group

B. they can work on computer

C. the teachers are interesting

D. math questions are easy there 

2.Which is NOT true of the program?

   A. It is very successful.

   B. It is boring to most students.

   C. It makes learning math more interesting.

   D. It gives the students a new way to learn.

3.The underlined word “calculated” in Paragraph 4 most probably means __________.

   A. worked out    B. wrote down     C. threw away    D. gave up

4.Caleb Deng’s story serves as an example to show ___________.

A. how students work in small groups

B. how to end a game with a high score

C. how the question 5+(6×3) should be solved

D. how students learn math through video games

5.This article is mainly about ___________.

   A. how to learn math well

B. an interesting math lesson

C. a new way to learn math

D. kids in Yat Sen Middle School

Have you heard about “Survival Holidays”? It is for children to go into the lonely place for exciting activities. Now about 1,100 companies are allowed to take children into the great outdoors without their parents.

The reason why people like “Survival Holidays” is that they think being close to nature is good for children. Many children in big cities spend all time watching TV and playing computer games. “Survival Holidays” gives them an important change.

Is “Survival Holidays” a wonderful idea? Maybe it is. Children need more free time to play. They need to be left on their own, without adults disturbing (干扰) them. Parents care too much about their children. They like to see the children being busy with activities that are controlled (控制) by adults, which causes many problems. Children don’t know what to do when they are in danger. Even something like crossing a small river seems to be a hard challenge. Children are not comfortable with danger. Even slight danger like getting their feet wet or falling down seems very terrible to them.

Many people think the survival activities are good for children. Even years later, they will still remember what they have learned. Some have learned to stay calm in dangerous times. Some have learned how to keep safe. Others have learned how to work in a team. All these skills will help them a lot in their lives.

1.What is “Survival Holidays” according to the passage?

A. It is summer holidays.             

B. It is winter holidays.

C. It is a kind of holidays to escape from danger.

D. It is a holiday to go into the lonely place for exciting activities.

2.Which children may take part in “Survival Holidays”?

A. Poor children.                      

B. Rich children.

C. Children from cities.                   

D. Children from the countryside.

3.What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?

A. The reasons people dislike “Survival Holidays”.

B. The advantages of “Survival Holidays”.

C. The disadvantages of “Survival Holidays”.

D. The suggestions of taking part in “Survival Holidays”.

4.In a “Survival Holidays” children can learn the following except ________.

A. how to get good grades              

B. how to stay calm in different times

C. how to keep safe when they meet danger  

D. how to work in a team

5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. No companies can hold “Survival Holidays”.

B. Parents can take part in “Survival Holidays” with their children.

C. Parents like to keep their children busy with activities controlled by adults.

D. Children don’t listen to their parents any more after “Survival Holidays”.

— Is this your pen?  

— _________. It’s his pen.     

A. It is my pen.        B. Yes, it is          C. No, it isn’t 

--- What’s this?

--- __________. 

A. It is an “H”.     B. It is “H”.     C. It is a “H”.        D. Is “H”.